Mixing Muggles With Magic
by Bratney
Summary: Have you ever wondered what happened to Dudley after the Dursleys left home in Book 7. Well here is my answer to that question. Dudley/OC fluff. Just because I think he redeemed himself.


**Mixing Muggles With Magic**

**By: Bratney**

His fingers pressed the buttons on the keyboard, pausing every now and then when he looked up at the girl sitting in the chair in front of him. She had been watching him intently while he surfed the internet with his computer; she studied him attentively every day for the past couple of months. No doubt she found him as unusual and interesting as he found her.

Erika Crane had long, blonde hair that hung to her mid-back her blue eyes seemed as though they could pierce right through to your soul and see every bad thing you had ever done. She stood about three inches shorter than Dudley and was medium weight. On top of all that, the girl was a witch.

"Did you find anything interesting on the computer this time, Dudley?" she asked propping her head up in her hands as she leaned over the desk between them. She blinked her ocean-blue eyes at him, waiting for an answer.

"Nothing really," he said giving up and switching off the device, "nothing reported that could be linked to the Death Eaters, even in a round about way." He shoved away from the desk, putting a few more inches in the distance between them and shrugged his shoulders, "It's hard to get a decent internet signal out here in the middle of nowhere anyway, I'm just surprised your dad has internet at all."

"Well, he might be a wizard, but the company he works for requires working with muggles in all the different branches. Wizards own the company, and muggles work there as a cover for whatever reason. You might of heard of it!" With this she paused and tucked her hair behind her ear with one hand, and picking up a grape with the other, "It's Grunnings."

Dudley gave the girl a blank stare, taking a few moments to put it all together, "You're joking right? You found out where dad was working before and decided to tell me that as a joke? Well, it isn't funny in any case."

"I'm telling the complete truth," Erika said her hands coming up defensively, "I've been straight forward with you from the start, Dud, I wouldn't lie to you." When he didn't make any move of believing what she had said she shrugged her shoulders and plopped another grape in her mouth, "Fine, don't believe me, I guess it doesn't really matter anyway, you're leaving at the end of the week."

"What does that have to do with anything?" he asked, getting up and folding his arms over his chest, trying his hardest to look intimidating, yet already knowing that it wasn't going to phase the girl. They had been through this a thousand times in the two months they had known each other; in the end; she was far more powerful than he could ever hope to be.

"Obviously we won't be seeing each other again after the end of the week, so nothing matters any more," she replied standing up so he wouldn't be towering over her, "It's not like you wanted to associate yourself with me ever anyway, we were forced into this situation and I'm sure both you and your family are glad to be rid of me and mine."

"It's not like that," Dudley protested, reaching out to lay a soothing hand on the girls shoulder, "well, I guess Mom and Dad will be happy to leave this place, I don't know how much longer they can stand watching your mom cook things the way she does."

Erika shook him off of her, spun around, and headed out the door. She spanned the three steps to the entrance to her room and slammed the door behind her. She started pacing, muttering to herself as she crossed the room back and forth, "You're such an idiot! The guy is completely terrified of anything magical; you've seen him flinch every time something as small as a pencil is levitated across the room, he could never like you that way! If anything the guy is scared of all the things you could do to him…"

She was cut off by a soft tapping on the door and the voice of her mother floated to her ears, "Erika? Sweetheart? What's wrong? Dudley came downstairs a couple minutes ago sulking, and you seem to have as much on your mind as he does."

"It's nothing mom, just another one of our silly little fights," she replied opening the door to look at her, "I swear, we fight just as much as an old married couple!" She gave a half-hearted smile at the joke then went back to her pacing.

"It will all be over at the end of the week, Sweetheart, don't worry about it," the woman replied entering the room and taking a seat on the black-blanketed bed.

With these words Erika broke down into sobs, tears began their decent down her cheeks, and her body shook uncontrollably. Through the tears she managed to get out a strangled, "But I don't want them to leave!"

Gasps came from the door, whether from the uncharacteristic display in front of them or the girls declaration of her feelings on them leaving, the two elder Dursleys seemed flabbergasted. However, the shock didn't last very long at all.

They entered the room quickly and Petunia in the lead as she gathered the girl up close to her, "Erika, don't cry, I promise I'll keep in touch, I might even have to learn how to tolerate that ghastly bird of yours so I can send you letters."

The girl's eyes went wide and she looked up at the woman shocked, "What?" She wasn't sure if she had heard Petunia right, or if maybe she was somehow hallucinating the whole thing. The Dursleys couldn't care about her or her family, could they?

"I was saying that I might have to get use to Nelson being around," Petunia said with a smile as she wiped the tears away from the girls eyes, "now stop crying and go take a walk with Dudley, the boy is doing wonders with his diet; but he won't exercise without you, so be a dear and walk around the field a few times, will you?"

"Sure I will Petunia," Erika said grabbing her jacket off the back of her desk chair, "and thanks for making me feel better, I owe you one." She wrapped her arms around both of the Dursleys before running out of the room to drag Dudley out of the house.

She found him sitting on the couch in the living room and, with a wave of her wand, levitated his jacket to him, "Come on! We're walking, by order of your mother." She skipped over to the door and turned to look at him, "Well, come on! We haven't got all day! Get up, and let's go!"

Reluctantly, he got out of his chair and pulled on the jacket, "Fine, whatever." He made his way over to her and followed her out the back door and into the field. They walked in silence for awhile, the wind doing all the talking for the both of them.

Erika was the first to break the silence when they had reached the middle of the field for the second time, "You know, I'm going to miss you." She paused for a few seconds, stopping in her tracks to think on what she was trying to say, "I know we've only known each other for two months, and I blame being away at Hogwarts for that, but I really don't want you to leave." She fell into a silence, wondering if she should tell him the rest of what was on her mind or not.

Her thoughts were interrupted by his voice a couple of minutes later, "I'll miss you too, you have to be one of the oddest people I've ever met, and you're one of them, but even after that, spending time with you has made these past couple of months bearable."

She blushed and launched herself at him, enveloping him in a hug, "Then don't go! Stay here with me; you don't need your mommy anymore to tell you what to do." She tilted her head up to judge his reaction, resting her chin on his chest.

He looked down at her, his arms slowly wrapping around her to return the hug, "I don't know Erika, staying with you is worth it, but I just don't know." He held her like that for what seemed like forever, amazed at the feelings that were going on inside him, intensified by the situation at hand.

"Erika, Dudley, come on inside, it's time for dinner!" the voice of Erika's mother called out across the field. The pair broke apart and linked their fingers together for the walk back to the house.

Dinner passed in relative silence, conversations only arising once in awhile to discuss the move back to Number Four Privet Drive, and recipes that Aunt Petunia wanted from Mrs. Crane. Not once did the topic of the short distance between Erika and Dudley come up, though all the adults at the table kept shooting them curious glances.

Later that night, a knock on the door awoke Erika from a fitful sleep. The door creaked open and Dudley walked into the room. He whispered her name and a quick, "Are you awake."

"I am now, what are you doing here?" she asked groggily patting the side of the bed next to her, "and you might as well come down here because I'm not getting up."

Dudley awkwardly climbed into the bed next to her, watching her anxiously for a reaction as he slipped between the sheets. When he got none he relaxed and reached out to touch her cheek.

She watched his shadow in the dark, surprised when his lips met her in an awkward kiss. She happily kissed him back, taking control of the situation. They broke apart soon after and settled in to fall asleep, his arm wrapped tightly around her.

She wasn't sure what was going to happen when their parents found out, couldn't even guess if he was going to move away, but she knew that no matter what they were going to be together.

**AN: So after a particularly bad flame by someone who obviously didn't read the story and didn't have the guts to sign in, I am no longer taking anonymous reviews. Sure, flames are ok if it's apparent you read the document in question.**

**Anyway, this is dedicated to all those Harry Potter fans that think Dudley redeemed himself in the 7****th**** book and wanted to know what happened to the Dursleys after they were separated from Harry.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor do I want to make any money off this work of fiction.**


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